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Shadow of the Nemesis: Part 1
Nemesis It's the Nemesis. Or it used to be, anyway. The space cruiser crashed into the Pacific Ocean four million years ago, and there it remains. Oh, it was rebuilt, to an extent, converted into Decepticon Headquarters, for a time, but that time has passed. When the Decepticons conquered Cybertron, it was abandoned; but not before being stripped down for parts. Little, if anything, is left of value. Over the ensuing decades, like Chernobyl, the "land" has reclaimed the area. Oh, it’s showing no signs of rust, but between the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis, the space cruiser has melted, cracked, and flooded. Marine life has moved in, making a home of the former Decepticon flagship. Despite the damage, which is considerable, it has held up well, showing no signs of rust. Upon closer inspection, it seems that the area has seen recent activity. There are three points of interest. There is a pile of refuse, junk, nothing of value, but would be a palace for any Junkion with an aquatic inclination. There is a second pile, this time far more orderly. Materials have been collected, stacked, and sorted. Obviously, whoever salvaged this intends to reuse these materials. And there is a third area, a little further away. There, the ocean floor is smooth to the touch. And upon that foundation, a structure has been constructed. It appears to be prefabricated, a temporary structure, but it is the size of an aircraft hangar. But underwater, how on Earth could it have gotten there? And what's more, who could have built it? The construction continues and Snaptrap finds himself standing out in the water, at the bottom of the ocean. He's near the entrance to the makeshift Command Centre, a temporary oxygen building, which has an entrance/exit for those wishing to go into the water unaided, and another entrance/exit for those piloting machinery. The Seacon Commander finds himself hovering over an interactive, touch-sensitive, table screen. He runs his finger across it, moving part of the generator to another part. Synched with personal pads, it wireless updates the information on the system. All around him various Decepticons, combiners, cassettes, everyone who was available, though many have found themselves "coerced" into volunteering for this particular assignment. The Seacon Commander can be extremely "convincing" when he wants to be. Looking up from the plans, he admires the work in progress. Currently, there are several Decepticons working on the structure of a building. It’s nothing more than a frame right now, but it is intricate, at least five stories high, with a gradual sloping and contours to help it survive the tidal forces that will play upon it once it’s been given an outer hull. For Drag Strip, "coercion" is about as simple as telling him he can't possibly build something better than a Constructicon can. Simple is as simple does. Whether or not he can actually do it as well though is another matter of debate, and you can expect Drag Strip to hotly contest that as well. Either way, the Stunticon warrior can be seen moving against the turbulent waters with both hands holding a piece of steel I-beam. The direction he's going is illuminated by the soft glow of his head mounted flash light, "I haven't been down here in a long time. Brings back memories. Huuuuf!" With a toss, Drag Strip throws the beam to the ground and begins to reorient the mass of steel, holding it in place as he waits for someone else to weld it into place. Overbite is at ease in the water, and his aquatic form is particularly suited to helping with this project. His walking shark mode can easily carry I-beams in his jaws in large quantities. He looks around at the ruins of the old Decepticon Undersea Base. "I have no memories of this place," he says. Motormaster sinks like a brick, landing with a soft puff of sediment and looking around in obvious puzzlement. "So HERE you are. What are you doing, Drag Strip? Did Long Haul put you up to this? You don't know how to... is this... you're just going to damage yourself." Some of the engineering-inclined Decepticons gladly take the I-beams from Drag Strip and Overbite, using some kind of a hyperbaric welding torch to secure them properly. The area seems devoid of natural life, with most of them having left in a hurry. Some creatures that aren't fast enough have been slowly escaping for days, and scurry along the ocean floor towards safety. One such one, in a panic, scurries up onto Drag Strip's foot when he pauses for a moment to talk to Motormaster. Snaptrap heads back into the Command Centre, finding the pacing Cassette. Barking out more of a demand than a question, "Ravage, why aren't you coordinating with the drill team? They require pinpoint accuracy on their depth. You wanted to be left in here and I allowed it. If you can't do this job, perhaps I will find another one - outside." Windshear is not happy to be down here. Oh hell no. In fact the only way he would ever be on a 'mission' like this is if he got his aft beaten into agreeing to it. And.. thats basically what happened, though for him it involved being gutted by a certain Seacons blade. Patched and still unhappy, the Seeker is inside a construction vehicle, in the pilot’s seat, chewing on his umpteenth enercig. It’s a bipedal type machine, sort of like a walker with arms more or less but structured more for hauling large beams and other items aided in building assembly. And right now he’s 'carrying' over some large metal I-beams to where they are needed. And no, he’s not happy. Drag Strip gurgles out a response to Motormaster before remembering he's underwater and switches to comm links instead, "These guys think a Constructicon, Scavenger no less, can out build -me-? Hah!" The yellow Stunticon warrior then moves off to fetch the next set of I-beam off in the corner and returning with it. He pulls up a welding gun with his right hand and does a crude job of welding the beam he was supporting into the rest of the framework, "I'm putting these fools in their place; they need to be taught just who is the superior mech around here." He says this as he goes off to claim yet another support strut while the I-beam he had just welded slides off, he makes Made in China sound like grade-A craftsmanship. Motormaster opens his mouth to argue with Drag Strip about his qualifications and decides he doesn't care how well whatever this thing is built after all, closing it again before a cleaner shrimp can try to get in there. "What in the Pit are you building, then?" Seawing glides down into the area from the direction of the surface, and then swims lazily around the construction site. "Looks like the Autobots and their human allies have no idea what's going down here," he reports confidently. Ravage looks up ever so slightly as Snaptrap barks a few instructions before letting out the lowest of growls. Not moving so much as to flick his tail the saboteur waits a moment before he responds the reply little more than the eerie vocal setting he uses over the local broadband. <> Turning slightly the feline lets his optics settle on the Seacon for a moment before going back to his observations. Overbite goes for another load of beams once his current load is dropped off. His streamlined form makes his movements fluid and rapid. "We could use another body to haul items," he says to Seawing, "Think you could carry some I-beams if I lashed them to your dorsal side? Windshear drops the I-beams and turns around and walks the machine back to grab some other items. Along the way he lights another enercig and turns up the volume on the music he’s come to really enjoy from Earth. Of course right now he’s trying anything to keep his mind off the fact he’s a long way down.. under.. water. Seawing opens and closes his hands, then grabs a few I-beams in each. "Fine, fine." He grumbles. "But don't complain to me when we all get surprised by one of those Aquabots." Snaptrap speaks into his commlink as he stares at the cassette. <> Those ominous yellow optics belay none of the thoughts behind them. If he killed Ravage, it would irritate Soundwave. And an irritated Soundwave would make life uncomfortable for Snaptrap. And so, he decides to ignore the slight, and only offer a correction, "The word you were looking for is your. "I am not your lacky'." Then into his commlink, <> Drag Strip stops in his tracks as Motormaster asks the million dollar question, and he drops the I-beam to the side as he thinks hard before replying, "Y'know, that's a damn good question." He looks around and pulls in the nearest wandering Decepticon worker over to him, "Hey. Just what are we building here again?" Having secured his place in the current pecking order in the depths Ravage tilts his head a bit in acknowledgement. Knowing what he had said should have come out ok he blames the quality of the transmission on the water and pressure surrounding them for the failing. As watching the others, or most of them, work can be tiring he gets up to stretch his legs in the shelter. Eager to be out of this place and back on the surface where he can put his talents to better use he wanders slowly checking everything out in the mean time. A green, purple, and black Insecticon that looks suspiciously like the deceased Kickback answers promptly Drag Strip, "Decepticon city-ty” as he goes about securing a panel to the lower part of the frame. Windshear returns with a load of scaffolding and other stuff. He's not into construction so he has no clue, hes just grabbing stuff in the pile. He drops the items down in front of Drag Strip and then turns the machine around and starts back toward the pile. Motormaster thinks nothing of a passing Kickback. After all, there were hundreds of Kickbacks at the Battle for Autobot City alone (which Motormaster wisely kept his team well away from). But what the Kickback says is more surprising. "A new base? In ADDITION to our existing undersea base? What for?" Seawing dumps the I-beams he was carrying, shoots Overbite a triumphant look and then heads for the control room, moving through the depths as easily in robot form as he did as a sea creature. "Precise calculations?" he repeats, tone casual. "Do tell." Seawing dumps the I-beams he was carrying, shoots Overbite a triumphant look and then heads for the control room, moving through the depths as easily in robot form as he did as a sea creature. "Precise calculations?" he repeats, tone casual. "Do tell." Windshear decides to park the machine and kicks back, one foot up on the 'dash', arm back over the chair, half smoking, half chewing his enercig. He’s sitting relaxed but he’s really not. From time to time he looks around the cockpit and then to the water scenery out of the main windshield. But for now, he’s not moving anything else over there. They got a large enough pile to last them a while. Somehow, Breakdown is standing directly behind Drag Strip. He didn't announce his presence or anything, he just... *appeared.* Well, not really. Ravage probably spotted him poking his head about from various points of cover, gradually making his way towards his teammate when he thought no one was looking. Overbite drops another load carefully next to Drag Strip. "There, that should keep you occupied for a while," he says. He follows Seawing into the command center. "Let us see what else our Commander wants." "Glad you could join us, Breakdown, but I've already located Drag Strip," Motormaster says sardonically. "He claims to be trying to build a city... underwater. As part of a dare, apparently." Shot Hole says, "The other one's mobile-ile. Goes where it-it wants-ts. This one's-one permanent-nent, and will have-ve a geothermal-mal power station-station." Meanwhile, a school of fish have bravely approached the walker being piloted by Windshear, and hover in place in the water next to the glass. One of them even swims into the glass, curious about it. And back in the Command Centre, Snaptrap explains, "Relay the coordinates, depth, pressure, and anything else Windshear might need. He's piloting the Walker, but he's been using it to haul I-beams. I want that thing to do what its here for! Get it done, Seawing." And with that, he heads back out into the water to check on things. "Not if it's being built by Drag Strip and a bunch of robot fish," Motormaster opines. "Are there any Constructicons here at all?" Breakdown's head jerks towards Motormaster as his presence is made public. "Uh, yeah, I was... wait, why are we going to live underwater again? That's freaking dangerous! Remember that time that the Sky Platform crashed on our undersea base, and there was massive flooding that took days to purge because we didn't have any water pumps because it was a freaking space-ship? I don't want to go through that again! Trapped underwater... you can't see anything... don't know what's there... crushing pressures... Terran submarines... I hate it, argh!" He clutches at his head, imagining all kinds of aquatic horrors to contend with. Drag Strip watches as more and more building materials gets piled in front of him. Well at least there'll be plenty of retries! "They're probably building a new base in tribute to us Stunticons.", Drag Strip replies to Motormaster matter of factly before turning around and jumping up in surprise at Breakdown's sudden appearance behind him, "Gaaaah!" Bubbles comes out of his mouth a bit before he continues to communicate through his commlink, "What you trying to pull here? This place is dark enough as it is, without you spooking around to make it worst." Realizing that Breakdown is in more fear than him though soothes Drag Strip, and he shoves an I-Beam at his fellow Stunticon team member, "What are you worrying about? You've got me building this base. Nothin' gonna go wrong." A green dump truck drives past Motormaster, complaining "REMOVE! REMOVE! ALWAYS REMOVE! I didn't join this outfit to be a dump truck!" Windshear blinks as the fish approach and one flies into the glass. "Dumbaft." he rasps and chuckles a little bit. Then he studies the fish, floating in.. the water and unnerves himself. He waves his hand, "Get away." he says even though he knows the fish have no clue. Maybe the motion of his hand will spook them away. "At least it isn't Scavenger," Motormaster says, turning to follow Long Haul as he rumbles past. Breakdown is startled by Drag Strip's being startled by him. "AAAHHH! I was... I... nevermind!" He listens to Drag Strip explain how he's going to build the base, and his look of apprehension does not fade one bit. With most of the area being put to good use as work space Ravage returns to the viewing dome to see how things are going. As things seem well in hand he relaxes a bit taking a few moments to study the fish and other oddities of the deep that happen past the bubble. The motion of Windshear's hands only seems to attract these fish, which are fairly rare, and known unofficially as the Dodofish, for their seemingly complete and utter disregard for humanoid dangers. Soon, Windshear's entire semi-sphere of glass is filled with fish, so that he can almost not see any water behind them. Snaptrap calls out on his commlink, <> Windshear startles at the comm -- he was too busy staring at the fish. They are kind of cute. <<"Dig? What? What telemetry?">> He sounds completely clueless and then suddenly realizes the Manson CD is blasting so all Snaptrap got was some pretty colourful lyrics from 'Armorg***am Mother***ingGeddon' instead. He shuts the CD off and repeats. <<"Dig? What telemetry?">> Overbite nods at Snaptrap. Swimming over to the walker and grabs a hold of it, lifting it and taking it over to where Snaptrap wants it to be. "You're not taking a break, are you seeker?" he says to Windshear, "Well, break time is over." Seawing nods amiably. "Very well. I'll give them a 'surprise' all right." He heads for the door, then transforms and glides off in Manta Ray mode. The next 30 minutes are spent using stealthy sneak attacks on innocent sea creatures. Windshear feels the Walker suddenly get.. picked up?!!! "What the hell!" he blurts out but isn’t interested in what’s got him. He’s only interested in no water getting in. He starts running systems checks, every now and again looking out the view screen at all the churned up water... *ukp*. Snaptrap blinks, and stares in surprise as Overbite moves the Walker. Impressive. And, completely not what he wanted. <> "Well..." muses Motormaster, looking at a deep-sea anglerfish, "You seem to be in good hands." He is of course referring to Ravage. "By which I refer to Ravage over there. Breakdown, keep an eye on Drag Strip and make sure he doesn't fall into a subduction crevasse or anything of that ilk. Perhaps the experience of trying to build something will be character-building for him." This minimal blessing bestowed on their efforts, Motormaster leaves his Stunticons to it, stomping off into the murk to return to the surface. <> Overbite remarks, <> He goes to the command center and takes over the console to monitor the sensor readings. <> Windshear is out of the pilots chair and laying on a 'wall'. the Walker is sideways and not much hes going ot do about it but just go along for the ride. "Ok.. armor checks out -- slag that breech isnt done melding over yet.. no!" he mutters to him. "Ok, Walkers armor is ok." hes babbling to himself, this and other comments when he eventually realizes hes not moving anymore. Of course suddenly finding himself on the proper floor of the pilots chamber was a clue as well. Windy scrambles back to the seat and looks out the window to see the command center up close.<<"What?">> he stammers and then sees some lights go off on the instrument panel, <<"Yeyea..when is my shift over?">> Shot Hole says, "Hey, you Stunticons-icons. Over here-ere. I need you-ou to help us-us attach these coverings-ings." And by that he means the exterior panels, which are rather large, and very heavy, but they're quit thin. Decepticon technology at its best. It'll withstand the pressure, but it's a pain in the aft to get into place. "Pfeh, well you came to the right mech for this stuff." Drag Strip comments arrogantly as he swims over to the covering and begins heaving the panels into place, "Motormaster can only wish... ooof... he had the... ooooof... strength that I do!" Except it looks like the Stunticon warrior is using a tremendous amount of effort just to move the thing. Tsk tsk. Breakdown turns towards Shot Hole, glances at Drag Strip, shrugs, and wades up to the Insecticlone. "Okay, uh..." He tries to heft up one of the plates, and is shocked as its weight causes him to topple over! "What the--what are these things made from, neutronium!? Or maybe whatever Brawl's brain is made from, haha! But seriously, I'm built for speed, not lifting!" There's a *thump* and a small ring of seafloor sand billowing outward as Carjack 'lands', thanks to some extra weight he's shoved into his oversized feet. In each hand he's holding a rather large power tool. "I finished modifying the rivet guns to work underwater. Who needs them?" Shot Hole shows off surprising strength for something so small and wiry, putting the two Stunticons for shame. Although upon close inspection, it would seem that the Kickback clone has attached a little device to the panel he lifts. It’s a portable short term anti-gravity device! Snaptrap is momentarily blinded by the sand in the water kicked up from Carjack’s arrival. “The trio could use your help Carjack.” And he points towards the little Insecticon and the two larger Stunticons. Breakdown is reduced to wailing in terror as he senses something thudding down onto the ocean floor, desperately trying to squirm out from under the heavy plate before whatever it is horribly maims him. Carjack huffs, which sounds odd underwater. "I swear, you people can't do nothing without an actual technician around here." Walking over, he shoves one of the rivet guns into the hands of each Stunticon. "Here. Make yourselves useful with something you can handle, and nail it down when it's in place." Then pulls his own multitool off his back, closing the end so it's got a flat surface, and uses the hydraulic power to push the panel up into position. Windshear heads to the spot indicated to start digging the hole. He notices Breakdown along the way freaking out and starts laughing. Granted he paused as Carjack made his entrance and then running the umpteenth systems check on the Walker, and once he’s satisfied with the readings, he starts to dig the hole. Overbite keeps feeding data to the walker remotely, from the command center. He transforms first, of course. <> he says. Snaptrap asks over the commlink, <> He can barely see him over a sand cloud, but even in the water, he can hear that wailing about. Meanwhile, it seems a stray Octopus that has thus far eluded Seawings scare tactics has found its way to the port that Ravage was observing. He'll get a good look at how an Octopus tries to pull in its dinner. Breakdown just about completely flips his ($#@ once Carjack draws near, but fortunately he manages to pull himself together once he sees who it is. "Oh, uh..." He doesn't add to that, though. <> With that, he hefts up the plate, managing to carry it a little more effectively now that he's prepared for its weight, though he does complain, as he rivets it in next to Carjack's plate, "This isn't Stunticon work! We're supposed to be out there, on the road, claiming territory and making the Autobots too afraid to go out on patrol!" Drag Strip sees Shot Hole putting him to shame and, while oblivious to the clone's schemes, he too begins doing what he does best when the going gets tough. Cheat. That is he pulls out his gravito pistol and quickly decreases the weight of the panel that he is hauling, so much so that another quick application of his weapon on another panel, he can be seen carrying two, one on each hand no less. The yellow Stunticon warrior struts through the area and begins putting down the first panel. There's a problem though. Drag Strip's gravito pistol's effect isn't permanent and the effects should wear off in about... 3... 2... , << Hey Breakdown, whatsa matter with you? This is just undersea work with plenty ol' other Cons around, why do you always got to be so damn jitter---- AUUGH!" ...1. The gravity displacement effect wears off and the second panel in Drag Strip's hand promptly drops down like a pile of bricks. Once the panels are in place and being fastened down far enough they won't fall, Carjack goes to retrieve another one, lifting it up over his head. While not exceptionally strong he -does- do this sort of thing for a function and knows how to put the strength he does have to proper application to the job. That, and the water does help with distribution of weight a bit. "So why -are- we fixing up this wreck, anyways?" Followed by an exasperated sigh as Drag Strip fumbles again. A Decepticon that looks suspiciously like Cyclonus, yet is not Cyclonus, tells Carjack, “Because we were told to.” He says that rather emphatically, like that alone should be enough justification. Having been observing the construction from within the safe bubble of air provided by the small structure Ravage has gathered enough information on things to answer the questions of those who sent him. All is well in hand and while the work teams themselves seem a bit lacking Snaptrap has everything under control. Satisfied with these findings Ravage slinks off towards the mini-sub he arrived in to return to the surface. Shot Hole seems to have some level of technical sophistication, as he's both carrying and installing his own panels without the assistance of either the Stunticons, or Carjack. Though he is hindered by the fact that everytime he goes back for another panel, he nibbles on a half eaten panel. He's been working on that thing all day. "You're not the only one that would like Skalor placed in a hermetically sealed bubble," Overbite remarks to Carjack. Windshear is just digging the hole he was ordered too. A cloud of dust is kicked up into the waters around Drag Strip as the heavy panel drops to the ground, nearly taking the yellow Stunticon warrior's arm off with it. After a moment, Drag Strip's face can finally be seen now that the dust in the water disspates, "Augh, that hurt. So y'know some of my tricks, fine! You better keep your vocalizers shut about them when talking to others if you know what's good for you!" He ends it off shaking an index finger at his fellow Stunticon member, but the intimidation effect really is non-existant to the others around him considering he just made an ass of himself. "I don't care if it makes sense or not, but it sounds like they're building this base for the glory of the Stunticons, and that's all I care about. Oh... and er... glory to Galvatron too." Drag Strip comments, his optics shifts left and right just in case a snitch might be around, even he doesn't want to piss off Galvatron. “Pick up the pace, gentlecons. We need to have this in place by 0700 tomorrow.” Snaptrap seems to be directing that towards the Stunticons, Insecticon, Cyclonus wannabe, and of course, Carjack. Then he turns his attention to Windshear, “How’s it coming along over there. Have you finished drilling the first well yet?” Had anyone bothered to read the entirety of Snaptrap’s proposal, they would have learned that the intended goal of the project was to have a permanent underwater base that would draw its power from the geothermal energy that abounds in the so-called ‘ring of fire’. But then, it was an overly ambitious project that would almost certainly fall well short of its intended goal. Windshear got the comm from Snaptrap right as there’s a SNAP! and the drill powers down. <<"...No.. It’s not finished -- the drill is...">> he manipulates the controls in the walker and the arms pick up the drill and draw it closer to the cockpit glass. <<"Dril bit snapped...">> he turns around and starts heading back to the command center. Overbite sees that the drill bit snapped. He goes to find a replacement for Windshear to pick up and use instead. <> He asks as he chews on his millionth enercig at this point. Good thing there’s air recycling inside the walker or the whole cockpit would be in a purple haze. Breakdown just shakes his head at Drag Strip. "Whatever! You're not bad in a race, but you're not half as scary as Motormaster, Drag Strip! But don't worry, I won't tell anyone how you CHEAT CONSTANTLY." He hefts up another heavy panel with a strained grunt. "Yeah, for the glory of Galvatron. I can drink to that! I just wish he'd stop disappearing on us! I'm glad that people have figured out that he's never gone for long, because I don't want to go through another civil war!" He carries the panel over the construction project and pushes it into place. "And the uncertainty of when he'll come back...that always gets to me!" With a few dull thumps, the panel is riveted into place. A lot of these "rough edges" in the construction work probably was the result of Drag Strip's handy work. Good thing Carjack is on the case though! Drag Strip's face contorts into anger though as Breakdown hits him where it hurts and he shakes a fist to retort, "It ain't cheating, it's called 'out of the box' thinking, and you'd probably have half as much success as I've had if you do just that too." Having said all that, the yellow Stunticon warrior picks up a nearby hammer and begins slamming the panels into place before replying to Breakdown, "No kidding, but I do miss the days when some fool upstart tries to pursue their ambitions whenever Galvatron ain't around though. I never do forget the look on their faces when the big guy with the cannon inevitably returns." Snaptrap says, <> A busted drill bit. That’ll set the schedule back some. Moving back to the central touch screen, he updates and checks on the progress of all divisions. They’re about right on schedule overall, behind in some areas, ahead in others. <> > Overbite says, <> Windshear stops dead in midchew/ pull off his smoke, <<"What?">> Carjack can be heard occasionally muttering under his breath about how they should the actual Constructicons here and not just a bunch of their yellow and orange doppelgangers, but doesn't let it deter his work all that much. He's grown more than accustomed to having to pick up the slack in Scrapper's disappearing on constant 'secret projects' lately. Breakdown huffs, "Out of the box, my aft plate," as he goes to look for another plate. Of course, this is a sore spot for him, because Breakdown very much does not like to think outside the box. The box is safe and cozy. He likes the box. "Fat chance of that happening with Cyclonus around to keep things in order, and nobody willing or able to challenge him," Breakdown says. "Yeah, it's more boring that way but it's safer!" Carjack pauses in hammering a restraining bolt into place properly and leans over the metal strut to peer down at the two Stunticons. "Boring, safer, and less work for me having to put the idiots back together! Or rebuild them into a throne." He hmms, rubbing his chin with his other hand. "Still can't figure out how Scrapper pulled that one off." Goes back to hammering. A bundle of equipments is passed down to Drag Strip by nearby Decepticon workers and soon the Stunticon warrior begins riveting the panels he had put down, now if he can only actually rivet things in a straight line... "Boring will never get you anywhere, Breakdown. Life needs excitement, challenges, adventure!" That's one panel down. Soon Drag Strip is riveting the second panel before he replies to Carjack, "Why imitate when you can one up him, eh, Carjack? Make a missile launcher out of these upstarts and give 'em to me. Then I'll claim my rightful place as Stunticon LEADER!" The yellow Stunticon guffaws a bit before resuming work. <> Overbite reiterates. <> The Seacon taps his foot impatiently. Windshear narrows his optics, <<"I am /not/ going out /there/.">> And he drops the drill and backs the Walker up a few steps. Carjack merely grins his needle-toothed smile briefly at Drag Strip before turning back to work. "You better hope no one was listening to that to tell Motormaster." For as much as he likes the Stunticons as fellow 'evil cars', he can't help but to pick and poke at certain aspects. Kind of like scratching at a scab. "Who said anything about out there? You will be in the nice dry command center," Overbite says. Breakdown rivets another plate into place. "I guess! But when it comes down to who's calling the shots, well, there's too much at stake to go screwing around with that too much! We beat on each other too often and we won't have anything left for the Autobots!" He snickers a bit as Drag Strip fantasizes about being Stunticon leader. "Haha, ahhh, let him dream Carjack. It's not like it would ever happen in a million years!" Snaptrap follows the walker, drawing his incendiary sword as he does. The sword seems to glow as if on fire, even under the water. He takes a swing with it, but it’s deliberately not close enough to puncture it and allow the water to creep in, he continues to follow, switching sword hands along the way, and saying nothing. "Now come on out of that walker, like a good Seeker," Overbite says, "Or we will be forced to get you wet rather...abruptly." Drag Strip almost looks like as if he's about to blow a gasket after what Breakdown said, but somehow he manages to hold it back, "I tell you over and over again. I just haven't pulled out all the tricks I've got up my sleeves to reach the top." He waves an index finger at Breakdown and Carjack, "You'll see. You'll all see." Windshear is actually starting to panic. But he resets his wings and gets a grip on it.. well sort of. <<"Like hell you are getting me out of this thing -- not while its down here.">> and he backs the Walker up some more. <<"Just give me another drill bit and let me finish what I was doing.">> so he can get his duty shift overwith and get back to dry land. Hammer hammer hammer. "Oh, I'm sure I will," Carjack replies with a snicker as he moves to the next joint of beams and pulls out a level to make sure they're straight. "... When you're on the medtable split in twain and Motormaster's asking for a new Menosaur limb." Breakdown manages to forget his various phobias for a moment as he continues to snicker. "Menasor would be a little shorter if you pulled it off, don't you think, Drag Strip?" he snarks while setting another plate into place. “You have failed me, Windshear. Now you must learn the error of your ways. Trust me, you shall not fail me again.” He continues to follow the Walker, swinging his sword randomly. Uh oh, that last one struck the glass, not enough to shatter, but enough to cause a scratch. “Have I made myself clear yet?” "We're going to have to pull him out kicking and screaming, aren't we?" Overbite says with a sigh. "I have no compunction about doing so, but I /do/ wish we had more cooperation." Drag Strip shakes a fist in anger at Breakdown, "Size doesn't matter! Dammit!" Unfortunately his fist shake was so sudden that he loses his footing and falls down the ridge and out of sight! "Great, someone's gonna have to go down and fish him out now." Carjack ponders for a moment, and then turns on his short-range radio. <> Then goes back to work on straightening the metal supports for the paneling. Breakdown watches Drag Strip fall over the edge, and almost goes after him before he realizes that he has no desire whatsoever to pursue him in the murky depths of the ocean. "Uh, yeah, let a Seacon take care of it," he says, returning to his work. He glances over at the walker a few times, wondering what that commotion is all about. Momentarily distracted, Snaptrap turns away from the Walker and Windshear to reply, <> Shot Hole cackles and laughs at Drag Strip's predicament, so much so that he stops chewing on his panel-lunch. Windshear watches Drag Strip disappear into some creepy black abys and just shutters. And he backs up the walker a couple more steps. Laughing at the bad luck of a fellow Decepticon is good and all, but after a few moments of enjoying it sensibility kicks back in and Carjack gets back to work. "This would be easier if a welding torch worked underwater." He muses mostly to himself. Shot Hole stops laughing, and eating, long enough to toss something towards Carjack. It floats in the water, and even the least dextrous Decepticon would be able to catch it, or more accurately, snatch it out of the water. “Here-re, take mine-ine.” It’s a hyperbolic welding torch, which functions underwater. Snaptrap casts his gaze towards the Walker, and then to a pad with his schedule. “Windshear, if you do not get back on task this instant, I will accept the loss of time, cut the Walker in half, and personally arrange for your funeral.” He’s unusually calm as he says this. Carjack disappears into the background amongst the Constructicon lookalines to work on a different section of the reconstruction, and isn't seen for the rest of the episode. Windshear is waiting to see if they are going to bput a new drillbit on the drill or who knows what. He doesnt really want to break orders but at the same time, hes not going to get out of the Walker. After a long moment’s pause, Snaptrap says, “Very well, Overbite, install a new drill bit. But watch Windshear. The next time he screws up, I want you to rip him out of the Walker and I don’t care what you have to break to get him out.” Then, suddenly noticing that there doesn’t appear to be any worrying noises coming from Breakdown, or the other Stunticon, he decides, “I’m going to go see what’s happened to the Stunticons. Be sure to have made progress by my return.” Hinder has been here the whole time, honest. She doesn't have the ability to stay this deep underwater by herself, so after seeing her likely pathetically humorous attempts to follow, Snaptrap just maglocked a pair of weights to her back feet and let her sink. It took her a bit, but she located the others and has been following Snaptrap like a puppy dog ... who drags its hind feet. "Of course," Overbite says. He does indeed install the new drill bit, making sure it is inserted correctly and secured. "Now, try that," he says to the Seeker, "And by the Pit if you break another one I'm going to crack that walker like an egg and drag you out of it." “You know I must do as I am commanded," Overbite says, "So pray to Primus that the drill does not fail." Windshear just glares at Overbite and gets back to work To be continued . . .